Chapter 14

The next morning, the girls dragged John and Sarah out of bed early.

"We are going hunting."

"Sweetie, there is so much to do."

"Twin Bird and I have watched you and Sarah. Your spirits need cleansing. Your mood is bad. You don't want sex, because you're thinking too hard. We have packed our backpacks. Our weapons are ready. We will walk and hunt. We will eat if we find food. Art? Are you there?"

"What can I do for you, Little Doe?"

"You say you can hear us anywhere we go, is that right?"

"Yes, Ma'am, that's right. What do you need?"

"You know about all the machines here and can make them run, right?"

"Yes"

"Good. We are going on a walking hunt. We may be gone as long as a week. My sister and I hooked the trailer up to the SUV and put it outside the barn so you can drive it to us if we get hurt or catch big animals. John and Sarah need to connect to the spirit of the mountain, smell the wind, hear the streams, and strengthen their spirits."

"I couldn't have said it better, myself. We always knew that the Native Americans knew much of how to keep the spirit alive, and working well. I hope John and Sarah listen to you two about such things, often. Most people of our time were more concerned with schedules, money and things, than they were about physical and mental well-being. John and Sarah, please listen to these two. They really do have your best interests at heart."

John was stunned. He had been thinking of what to do first, then next and so on. Here his wives are going to shanghai him, and the computer said it was a good idea. Maybe there was something to this. He remembered hearing about Australian walkabouts to accomplish clearing the mind.

"It seems I am out voted. I will have you know this is not a democracy. If I feel an overwhelming certainty, we will do it my way. However, you are right about me. I am feeling stressed and pressured. I wanted to have some kind of gift or trade goods for the chiefs, before they get here. My pride wanted it to be something I made, not something Art made for us. I will agree to this, as long as you can convince Sarah, also."

Everyone looked at Sarah.

"Oh, dear, how do I say this? I really don't like camping much. I wouldn't mind a hike or two ... But a weeklong camping trip? When we have a perfectly good, solid, home? I really don't like the idea much."

"Elder sister, don't you like to listen to the birds sing, or hear the babble of a mountain stream? Have you ever stopped to look at the wild flowers the Great Spirit has given us? You like animals. You were a vet. Have you ever seen the rabbits play in the early dawn light in a field, or watched a fawn nurse from its mother in the wild?

"The world is so much more than what you see in a house, teepee, or workshop. The Great Spirit has given each of us a spirit of our own that can appreciate these things. When we stop and look at these things, we can feel his spirit reach down and touch ours. At that point we know all is well, and we can do our work again."

Sarah stared open mouthed at Twin Bird. This is the most Sarah ever had heard her say at one time. Tears started to form in her eyes.

Little Doe piped up, "Elder sister, please listen to my little sister. Even as a small child, she would stop and listen to the birds, and watch the animals. The Great Spirit touched her when she was young, and her spirit was always been shy and kind. She is always in touch with nature, which is why I must protect her. She is not always watching for danger."

Sarah looked from one sister to the other. She held her arms open in a gesture that invited a hug. Soon all of them were holding each other tightly.

"Little one, if you promise to show me these things, I will put up with camping."

The sisters were smiling broadly. John suddenly had an idea.

"My dear ones, where did you put the packs? I would like to look through them. I have a couple of ideas that may make it better for Sarah. Sarah while I am looking, please get clean underwear for yourself, for a week. I know that will make you feel better."

John started looking through the packs. He noticed they were more like large purses with a shoulder strap. He spent some time with Art. About an hour later, he informed the women that he had repacked things, and they were ready.

Sitting there were four modern backpacks. Three were smaller with an internal support frame and the forth was much larger with an external frame. Each of the smaller packs had a rolled sleeping bag secured to the bottom, while John's had several things secured to it. They also each had a pouch they could slip on their belts for extra cartridges and miscellaneous items.

John didn't care in which direction they went, so Little Doe led. They headed south and east a few miles. They stopped on top of a small hill.

Twin Bird said, "I need all of you to sit down in a comfortable place, and close your eyes. Lean back, and breathe slowly. Now open your eyes, and look at the clouds. Say what you see in the clouds. There are always ever-changing pictures in the sky, but we don't usually notice."

The girls spotted things easily, but at first, John and Sarah had difficulty. After a little time, and help from Little Doe and Twin Bird, John and Sarah finely started seeing things. This turned into a fun game, to see who could see things first. They all ended up laughing.

They got up, and continued walking, until Little Doe found a spot where they could camp.

John quickly had a six-man dome tent set up. Twin Bird got in his face. "John, how can we see the sky at night or the animals in the predawn light if we sleep in that thing?"

"My little one let's think about Sarah, for a minute. Everything you have said is true. Now, I love you all. I want us all to be comfortable with this. If Sarah has a place to get inside, and out of the weather, she will feel better. If she feels better, she can be more relaxed, and pay more attention to what is going on. Do you understand, now?"

She gave him a big hug and nodded her head. "I am sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"You have done nothing wrong. You were just thinking about things from one side. There is always more than just one way to look at things. Just like the clouds this afternoon. Okay?"

"John if you knew this, why don't you act that way?"

"Little one," he said, giving her a squeeze, "where I come from, everyone is focused on money. If you don't make money, you can't survive. Making money involves doing something that other people want, not what is best for you. Most people do not really think that taking time to look at the world, is important. It has nothing to do with what they want. In fact, for most ... in the country I came from ... wants had become so important, that people would sometimes give up what they needed for what they wanted. Sometimes, they would actually do things that would hurt themselves to get what they wanted.

"Now, let's see if we can catch something to eat. We don't want to be hungry, and get into the emergency supplies I brought."

"John! I thought we said if we would only eat if we found food!"

"I know little one. I brought it in case something more important came up. In fact, I thought of the most important thing we could do on this trip."

"What's that? This trip is supposed to be about connecting to the spirit of the mountains."

"I think connecting to the spirit in our family, is just as important. Each of us needs to tell the others our story in detail. You will see when we do, that Sarah and I are very different from anything you would expect."

"Does that have something to do with your magic?"

"Yes, it does. Now, let's find some food."

John and Twin Bird managed to bag a couple of rabbits, while Sarah and Little Doe gathered some roots and herbs. Supper was very good. After supper, Twin Bird took Sarah with her to the edge of a clearing and they knelt down in the tall grass. They here quiet as they watched the clearing.

Near dusk, Sarah watched, scarcely breathing as a doe stepped carefully into the clearing. It tested the wind, and looked around. After a couple of minutes of seeing nothing, it bent its neck to feed. Soon after that, a half grown fawn joined her. Within ten minutes, there were twelve deer graving in the clearing.

A few minutes later Sarah sneezed, and the deer vanished.

When they got back, to camp they found John and Little Doe had been busy. There was a fire going, and tea was waiting for them.

Little Doe led Sarah to the fire and said, "Elder sister, our younger sister and I have talked, and then we consulted John. We feel that for us to bond and have one spirit as a family, we must share our stories. We will do this each night, for four nights. On the story night, only the person telling their story may talk. We can hold and comfort each other but we must be silent until the fire is out. Each person here has suffered pain. Shared pain can be healed. Private pain will keep us apart. As elder, you may choose when you tell your story. You may even do so tonight if that is your wish. Do you wish tonight or another night?"

Sarah's reply surprised the other three greatly, "I would go, tonight. This is the first time I have been at peace, outdoors, in more than fifty years. Everyone get comfortable. This may take a while."

John, having heard part of her story, quietly asked Little Doe if she would mind making sure Sarah's teacup was always full. He then sat next to Sarah and gently grasped her hand. With his eyes, he told Twin Bird to sit on the other side.

Sarah started her story, "My sisters, you know John and I come from a different world. So some of my story you may not understand. I only ask that you listen to the feelings in it, to know me better."

"I was born on a ranch, in Texas. I was raised around animals. I knew the reason we ranched was to raise the cattle, until they were big enough to kill for their meat. This kept me from getting too attached to any of the animals. My mother was wonderful and loving, as I look back I think she is the only person on that world that loved me for being me.

"When I was six, I was told we were getting a new baby brother. Part of me was happy, because I had never had a playmate, as we lived so far from anyone else. Part of me was sad, because I was afraid my mom and dad would forget me, and only play with my brother.